One of the world's oldest
civilizations, Armenia once
included Mount Ararat, which
biblical tradition identifies
as the mountain that Noah's
ark rested on after the flood.
It was the first country in
the world to officially
embrace Christianity as its
religion (c. A.D. 300).
In the 6th century B.C.,
Armenians settled in the
kingdom of Urartu (the
Assyrian name for Ararat),
which was in decline. Under
Tigrane the Great (fl. 95–55
B.C.) the Armenian empire
reached its height and became
one of the most powerful in
Asia, stretching from the
Caspian to the Mediterranean
Seas. Throughout most of its
long history, however, Armenia
has been invaded by a
succession of empires. Under
constant threat of domination
by foreign forces, Armenians
became both cosmopolitan as
well as fierce protectors of
their culture and tradition.
Over the centuries Armenia
was conquered by Greeks,
Romans, Persians, Byzantines,
Mongols, Arabs, Ottoman Turks,
and Russians. From the 16th
century through World War I
major portions of Armenia were
controlled by their most
brutal invader, the Ottoman
Turks, under whom the
Armenians experienced
discrimination, religious
persecution, heavy taxation,
and armed attacks. In response
to Armenian nationalist
stirrings, the Turks massacred
thousands of Armenians in 1894
and 1896. The most horrific
massacre took place in April
1915 during World War I, when
the Turks ordered the
deportation of the Armenian
population to the deserts of
Syria and Mesopotamia.
According to the majority of
historians, between 600,000
and 1.5 million Armenians were
murdered or died of
starvation. The Armenian
massacre is considered the
first genocide in the 20th
century. Turkey denies that a
genocide took place, and
claims that a much smaller
number died in a civil war.
After the Turkish defeat in
World War I, the independent
Republic of Armenia was
established on May 28, 1918,
but survived only until Nov.
29, 1920, when it was annexed
by the Soviet Army. On March
12, 1922, the Soviets joined
Georgia, Armenia, and
Azerbaijan to form the
Transcaucasian Soviet
Socialist Republic, which
became part of the USSR. In
1936, after a reorganization,
Armenia became a separate
constituent republic of the
USSR. Since 1988, Armenia has
been involved in a territorial
dispute with Azerbaijan over
the enclave of
Nagorno-Karabakh, to which
both lay claim. Also in 1988,
a devastating earthquake
killed thousands and wreaked
economic havoc.
Armenia declared its
independence from the
collapsing Soviet Union on
Sept. 23, 1991. In
1992–1994, Armenia
successfully fought Azerbaijan
for control of
Nagorno-Karabakh. The majority
of the enclave are Armenian
Christians who want to secede
from Azerbaijan and either
become part of Armenia or gain
full independence. Enormous
casualties were involved.
An Armenian diaspora has
existed throughout the
nation's history, and Armenian
emigration has been
particularly heavy since
independence from the Soviet
Union. An estimated 60% of the
total 8 million Armenians
worldwide live outside the
country, with 1 million each
in the U.S. and Russia. Other
significant Armenian
communities are located in
Georgia, France, Iran,
Lebanon, Syria, Argentina, and
Canada.
About The Author
Armine Hareyan - the owner
of the site http://etraveling.blogspot.com
Travel Destination articles
harminka@yahoo.com
